Hepatitis A ·What is the infectious agent (pathogen) that causes this infectious disease? For example, the name of the bacteria, virus, or parasite.
Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by fecal matter transmitted from person-to-person by ingestion of contaminated food or water or through direct contact with an infectious person. This disease enters the bloodstream through the epithelium of the intestine. The blood then carries the infection to the liver where it then multiplies.
· How is this infectious agent transmitted through food or water?
You can contract this disease from food, water, and any person caring the illness them self. If food is prepared by some one that has not been washed there hands good enough then that is a good way to contract the disease that way. This disease can survive for months in fresh and salt water. The most common way to contract the disease through food is through shellfish that is in contaminated water. There are some cases that show that the disease is contracted through blood transfusions. There are some cases that the infected have passed the disease to others by not keeping theme self clean. This is by not washing there hands well enough and then touching items that others might come in contact with. ·What is an example of a real life outbreak of this food-borne illness in the United States?
Richard Miller had planned to have lunch with his wife on October 12, 2003 never in his wildest dreams did he think that one of his most favorite Mexican food restaurants would nearly end up killing him. On the menu was a bunch of dishes that contained fresh green onions. Little to their knowledge did they know that later they would find out that green onions were determined to be the carrier of the disease hepatitis a. soon after their visit to the Mexican restaurant the symptoms started to come on. In late October Richards wife was feeling better but Richard was not. in early November Richard wife brought him to the hospital where there worst fears were proven he was the diagnosed with hepatitis a. He was set home after giving some fluids to recover on his own when nothing got better and even started to get worse his wife called 911 and the medics came to pick him and bring him back to the hospital. Richard had developed a rare but severe complication known as fulminate hepatitis A which the virus invades the liver cells and releases toxins, killing the cells. In addition to the severe loss of liver function, it can lead to brain damage and multiple organ failure also at Richards age death was unfortunately part of his worries. ·What are the clinical symptoms, duration of the disease, and treatment if any? The are many symptoms that
